This invention relates to a plastic binder capable of being attached at one portion thereof to a panel, wrapped around lines, rods, or tubes such as electric cables or pipes, and attached to itself thereby bundling such lines, rods, or tubes.
Binders of this kind now available on the market vary widely in design. Generally, however, the binders of this kind have a basic construction which consists of a binding band made of a plastic strip and adapted to be wrapped around slender articles to be bundled and a buckle provided therein with a slit for permitting insertion of the binding band and formed integrally with the binding band. The desired bundling of given slender articles by the binder of this construction is accomplished by wrapping the binding band of this binder around the slender articles, then inserting the free end of the band through the inlet of the slit in the buckle, drawing the emerging free end of the band out of the outlet of the slit, and giving a strong pull to the free end of the band drawn out of the slit thereby binding the slender articles into a tight bundle. For the purpose of keeping the slender articles in a bundled state fast or preventing the binding band from slipping out of the slit in the buckle, the buckle is provided therein with a pawl and the band is provided thereon with a row of fitting recesses or a row of perforations so that, in the course of the bundling operation described above, the buckle and the band may be fastened to each other in a manner not permitting their accidental separation.
The binders of the construction described above are mainly used for binding fast in position cables and other lines distributed within automobiles and electric appliances. Thus, they are destined to be suitably attached fast at prescribed positions on automobile bodies or machine chasses. The binders are, therefore, provided with engaging members adapted to be attached fast to fitting holes bored in advance in the panels. Generally, these engaging members are formed integrally with the buckles or with parts of the bands.
There are times when such conventional binders are to be used for bundling cables within machine interiors having highly limited spaces available for the bundling work. If the binder to be used in this case happens to be provided in the buckle thereof with the engaging member for attachment to the panel, the worker is compelled to insert the binding band through the slit in the buckle while holding the given slender articles such as cables against the buckle with his hand. At this time, since the slender articles hide the inlet of the slit in the buckle, the worker has no alternative but to fumble in the narrow space for the slit before he inserts the band in the slit. Thus, the conventional binders have suffered from very inferior operability. In the case of the binder which has the engaging member for attachment to the panel provided at one point of the binding band thereof, since the buckle is formed integrally at the leading end of the binding band having a straight basic shape, the inlet of the slit in the buckle faces upwardly and the outlet of the slit faces downwardly relative to the panel held in an upright position. When the worker, holding the slender articles in one hand and gripping the band in the other hand, pushes the band through the inlet of the slit in the buckle, the leading end of the band collides with the panel and is not allowed to advance any large distance from the outlet of the slit in the buckle. When the worker subsequently attempts to pull the band out of the outlet of the slit with the one free hand and bind the slender objects into a tight bundle, this work turns out to be a troublesome, almost impossible chore. Users of these binders, desirous to be relieved of this trouble, have urged development of binders which are capable of bundling lines, rods, or tubes with higher workability.